


Strange as a Dream, Real as the Sea

by dawnstruck



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Gen, Happy Ending, M/M, Merfolk!GoM, Merman!Aomine, alternative universe, bastardized folklore, 中文翻译 | Translation in Chinese
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-01
Updated: 2015-06-01
Packaged: 2018-04-02 09:59:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4055818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dawnstruck/pseuds/dawnstruck
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aomine is a merman. Kise is in need of some saving.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Strange as a Dream, Real as the Sea

**Author's Note:**

> I'm on a roll, so here's another one.  
> Because let's be honest, merman!Aomine would be so rad. Also, this may have been vaguely inspired by listening to Suwabe Junichi's dulcet tones. That man's voice is pure sexiness.
> 
> Title is taken from the stage adaptation of Disney's Little Mermaid, more specifically the lovely [Her Voice](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9I8fpGo0xIM).
> 
> Edit: [Chinese translation here](http://sasadori.lofter.com/post/30b159_1262a443)

Humans have legends about sirens calling them out to drown in the depths of the ocean.

  
The merfolk, of course, know that they do not need to do so. After all, the sea has her own means of luring people in.

 

 

He's back at the shoreline again.

  
Aomine is watching him from his usual spot, hidden behind an outcrop of rocks, most of his body submerged in the dark water.

  
As always, the man doesn't do anything. He doesn't throw stones, doesn't dig around in the sand as some of the littler humans do. He doesn't wander up and down with his dog, like the big red-headed one used to. He doesn't row out on a boat and try to catch fish.

  
Instead, he is just standing there as he does almost every night, though he seems to dare walk a little bit further with each passing day, as if the temptation is only ever growing.

  
Today, he is closer to the waves than ever before. His boots are standing in the wet sand, the lapping water almost grazing his toes as the flood inches its way up the beach.

  
Aomine has no interest in humans, neither respect nor disgust. They just are, as boring and predictable as everything else under the sun.

  
This one, though. This one is different.

  
The look on his face is the same every time. Whenever he stands there, his gazed fixed on the far-off horizon, even as the harsh winds beat his cheeks, he always has that desolate expression in his eyes. It's longing and speechlessness and desperation.

  
He looks lost, Aomine thinks to himself. Bereft.

  
A particularly eager wave unexpectedly leaps forward, drenching the human's boots. He gasps and takes a step back – but just a small one. Then, slow and unsteady, as though his body were moving on its own, he steps closer towards the water until his feet are entirely submerged.

  
Aomine stares. This has never happened before. Up till now, the human had never dared to actually step into the sea.

  
“Ryouta!” a voice suddenly calls out and the man's head snaps around, eyes drawn away from the ocean.

  
Another man is jogging along the shoreline at a leisured pace, but Aomine can see that his jaw is thightly set.

  
“Shogo,” the other man says quietly, blinking as though waking from a dream.

  
“What are you doing, Ryouta,” Shogo chides, grabbing him by the wrist and tugging him back, farther up the beach where the sand is still dry, “You're ruining your shoes.”

  
“Oh,” the other says and dumbly looks down at himself as if he had only just noticed.

  
“It's getting too cold out here,” Shogo claims, pulling him away step by step, “Let's go back.”

  
“Of course,” comes the reply, but it sounds uncertain, confused.

  
Together, the two leave the beach, and to Aomine's lament his human does not even glance back. Still, at least he now has a name to call him by. And Aomine knows that by tomorrow, Ryouta will be back.

 

 

Aomine doesn't care for the land. He only swims up to ride the surf and feel the sun on his skin.

  
The others don't understand. The others are scared.

  
“Stay away from the shoreline and don't fall in with humans,” Akashi warns him, and though his face is calm, his scarlet tail twitches dangerously like that of a lionfish, “Remember what happened to Tetsuya.”

 

 

Satsuki still cries a lot, inconsolable, no matter how many times Aomine offers to go pearl-diving with her.

 

 

Aomine is a merman. Humans capture and kill his kind, if the stories his elders tell are to be believed.

  
And Aomine can outswim any ship, is not afraid of any harpoon, but Tetsu's fate has taught him an unexpected kind of fear.

  
So Aomine should know better.

  
And he is not a siren, he does not want to lure anyone in.

  
Still, as dusk falls over the bleeding red sea, he sits on his rock and sings until Ryouta finally appears.

 

 

“Humans are dangerous,” Akashi reiterates upon every occasion since Tetsu disappeared, “Being killed by them is one thing. Giving up who you are, however, is unforgivable.”

 

 

Midorima is probably the smartest guy Aomine knows, apart from Akashi, and Aomine sure as hell isn't going to ask _him_ any questions.

  
“There are many legends,” Midorima explains, clearly reluctant, “And most of those are make-belief at best. You shouldn't waste your thoughts on them.”

  
“Still,” Aomine insists, “What do they say?”

  
Midorima sighs, resigned.

  
“When one of us falls for one of them and is rejected,” he says slowly, unable to look Aomine in the eye, “We are said to perish from heartbreak and turn into seafoam.”

 

 

Looking back, Aomine should have seen it coming. Should have seen the change that was making Tetsu restless and taciturn.

  
“Are you swimming up to the surface, Kurochin?” Murasakibara asks guilelessly as Tetsu subtly makes his excuses, “Can you bring me some of that tasty moss that grows on the rocks?”

  
“Of course, Murasakibara-kun,” Tetsu says after a beat, “I will be back shortly.”

  
Hours pass until he returns and when he does he has forgotten the moss. The smile on his face is private and blissful, but his eyes are eternally sad.

 

 

One day, Aomine follows him.

  
Tetsu is sitting on a rock, much too close to the shore and in direct line of the human at the beach if he were to glance over. If Akashi knew, he'd rip Tetsu to shreds, but it's not like Aomine is gonna tell on him.

  
“Who is he?” he asks instead because he has a feeling Tetsu might know.

  
“His name is Kagami Taiga,” Tetsu replies with a serene expression, never taking his eyes off the tall, red-headed man who's gallivating up and down the beach with his four-legged companion. The human is laughing and throwing a stick that the animal chases after with obvious excitement.

  
“He's the son of a rich nobleman and lives nearby,” Tetsu continues, “He used to be afraid of dogs, but now that he has Nigou it has gotten much better.”

  
Aomine blinks, trying to parse all this.

  
“What are dogs?” he asks finally.

  
“Animals that humans keep both for work and companionship,” Tetsu explains, “I think it's quite beautiful.”

  
“How do you know all this?” Aomine wonders.

  
“I asked Midorima-kun.”

  
“Midorima knew the human's name?”

  
“Oh,” Tetsu realizes and shakes his head, “No. I found that out all by myself.”

  
“How long have you been watching him?” Aomine says and feels worry creeping into his voice.

  
“A while,” Tetsu says simply, still not looking at him, “You should go back, Aomine-kun. Momoi-san mentioned that she wants to go pearl-diving.”

  
So Aomine leaves him, but he doesn't go far. Instead, he only swims a little way off and watches while Tetsu watches the human.

 

 

They never discuss it. Not when Tetsu first starts behaving oddly, and not when one day he does not return from his exploits. Akashi's piercing eyes force them into silence.

  
Only later, when Satsuki is crying quietly, face hidden in her hands, does Aomine put his arms around her and swear to find out what happened to Tetsu.

 

 

He does not find Tetsu, no matter how many times he goes up to the surface.

  
Instead, he finds his own obsession.

  
“You don't understand, Aomine-kun,” Tetsu had told him once when Aomine had finally insisted that he stay where he belonged, “He is life, and light. I want to be a shadow under his sun.”

  
Back then, Aomine had indeed not understood. But now, as he looks at Ryouta with his golden hair and storm-swept gaze, he thinks that he might.

 

Ryouta is always there, always staring out at the sea.

  
Sometimes, the one named Shogo is with him, all shark-sharp grins and a voice of rolling thunder, dark and distantly threatening.

  
He puts his hands on Ryouta not as an anchor keeping a ship in place, but a fisher's net pulling a flurry of shimmering scales from the sea. Inconsiderate. Lethal.

  
Ryouta is growing more and more restless, though.

  
Aomine is singing to him all the time now, low and lilting, the sounds washing up against the shore and ebbing away again, a constant back and forth. A temptation.

  
All the songs of love and battle, of the deadly beauty of the ocean, of sailors drowing far from home. They are songs of his people, ancient as the sea herself.

  
So Aomine sings and waits, never quite knowing why, until one day the tides finally turn.

 

 

At the horizon, a storm is gathering, sea and sky an ominous roiling grey.

  
It's so dark that Aomine's tail, usually bright like a regal blue tang, gleams jetblack in the water as he rides out the growing waves.

  
As soon as Aomine spots movement at the shore, he can tell that something is different. Because today, Ryouta does not stop when he reaches the water. Instead, he heads straight for the sea and wades out, up to his knees, his waist, his chest.

  
Soon, he is neck-deep in water. Soon, he is swimming.

  
The underlying grace to his movements, however, is swallowed up by the francticness in his eyes. His body is jerking intermittedly, as if undecided whether to stay on his path or return to land.

  
On any other day, Aomine would have smirked, triumphant that the sea's call had finally gotten through to Ryouta. But with the storm growing stronger and stronger, Aomine knows that the human will not be able to keep his head over water for long.

  
Not wasting a second thought, Aomine goes after him.

  
Ryouta makes it far, farther than any other human could possibly follow him. That's why, when Ryouta finally falters, Aomine knows that he will surely drown.

  
“Don't trust the humans,” Akashi had said, “Don't touch them. Humans are poison all over and rotten to the core. Remember what happened to Tetsuya.”

  
But none of them knew what had happened to Tetsu. Whether he was turned into seafoam or skewered by a harpoon. Whether he was caught by a net and dragged away. He could even have been killed by a shark or an overpowering current. Or maybe, he was sick of Akashi's condescending and controlling habits and simply chose to stay away.

  
Ryouta swallows a mouthful of water, gasps, coughs, and goes under.

  
With a clench of his teeth, Aomine dives forward.

 

 

The rain is still coming down hard and the sand crunches under their weight as Aomine drags them ashore. He's never been on land, not like this. But then again, he's never saved a human either.

  
As soon as Ryouta is flat on his back, he coughs and heaves up a gush of water, rolling onto his side. He's barely conscious, his eyes flickering open and sliding shut again, their gaze unfocused and bleary.

  
“Hey,” Aomine tries, slapping his cheek first lightly, and then harder. Ryouta only groans.

  
“Fuck it,” Aomine growls and begins to sing.

 

 

“Ryouta!” a voice bellows down the beach, accompanied by thunder and lightening, “Dammit, Ryouta, where are you?!”

  
Within a blink, Aomine has leapt back into the shallow water, pulling himself forward on his hands like a seal, until it's deep enough to swim again. He doesn't, though, only submerges himself far enough that Shogo won't be able to see him.

  
“Ryouta!” Shogo calls again and it's more of a curse as he comes skitting to a stop next to Ryouta's prone body. For a moment, Shogo's glare is so angry that Aomine fears his recent effort of saving Ryouta was in vain, but then Shogo only kicks at the sand before falling to his knees and roughly pulling the other into his arms.

  
It's not exactly an embrace, too possessive and clutching for that, and Aomine does not like the way Ryouta's limp arms hesitantly come up to return the gesture in a weaker fashion.

  
“I told you to stay away from the water!” Shogo hisses, “Never do something like that again, you hear me?!”

  
Ryouta, obviously still whoozy, nods and offers a tentative apology. Shogo does not accept it outright, just pulls Ryouta up to his feet and drags him away.

  
Aomine stays long enough to see how Ryouta throws a helpless look back over his shoulder.

 

 

Days pass and Ryouta does not return. Aomine takes to checking the surface at irregular intervalls instead of just swimming up at dusk.

  
“Please don't go,” Satsuki begs him one day, holding on to his wrist as he is about to leave again. He shrugs her off and swims away, not understanding her sudden clinginess. Only when he is sitting on his usual rock once more does it occur to him why she is so worried.

  
I am becoming like Tetsu, he realizes, eyes widening. But it does not deter him.

  
Instead, he starts to explore the rest of the shoreline, not just the small stretch of beach where he had seen Ryouta that first day and every time thereafter.

  
In one direction, there is a small village with fishing boats sitting in the sand and women untangling nets, followed by a series of fields and pastures.

  
The other direction is mostly covered in high cliffs that prevent Aomine from seeing much. But there must be a bigger town, and he has see bits of a grand house peeking up from behind the rocks.

  
He doesn't even know what he expects when he looks up, but it's certainly not to see Tetsuy walking along the winding path that leads down to the rocky beach. Walking. On legs. Like a human.

  
Aomine doesn't even have to think.

  
“Tetsu!” he yells, elation and desperation in equal measure.

  
Tetsu turns around and smiles.

 

 

“You didn't turn into seafoam,” Aomine observes numbly, hopelessly caught off guard by being re-united with his best friend.

  
“Does Aomine-kun really believe in those superstitious tales?” Tetsu chides mildly, but his expression is fond, “Also, we are only supposed to turn into foam when our love is not returned. And as you can see, Kagami-kun did not reject me.”

  
“Lucky me,” Kagami says and gives a dopey grin. Aomine wants to dislike him, but with the way the two idiots are looking at each other, he can't really find it in himself.

  
“But how?” Aomine wants to know, still not used to seeing Tetsu dressed in cloth, his skin slightly darkened by the sun, and legs in place of the pale blue scales that Satsuki used to moon over so much, “Did you just decide to grow a pair of feet?”

  
“I made a deal with a sea witch,” Tetsu says plainy as if it were nothing out of the ordinary, “My voice in exchange for a chance to become human.”

  
“But you still have your voice,” Aomine points out.

  
“The deal was that I would have to make Kagami-kun kiss me within three days,” Tetsu explains.

  
“Or else?” Aomine asks, feeling that there has to be more to it.

  
“Or else I would forever be enthralled to her,” the other deadpans.

  
“What the hell, Tetsu!” Aomine snaps and whacks him over the head, “Are you crazy?”

  
“I am in love,” Tetsu counters, and then he and Kagami exchange another of those disgusting looks, so Aomine decides to change the subject.

 

 

When Aomine explains that he was not actually looking for his missing friend, Tetsu is surprised.

  
“Aomine-kun is looking for a human?” he asks and then puts a possessive hand to Kagami's arm, “He cannot have Kagami-kun.”

  
“No, you idiot,” his own horrified expression is mirrored on Kagami's face, “A different human. His name is Ryouta.”

  
At that, Kagami blinks, “Kise Ryouta? The one who lives with Haizaki Shogo?”

  
“Yes!” Aomine sits up straighter, “You know him?”

  
“Not really. But Haizaki is a right ass,” Kagami claims and Aomine can easily believe him, “He is selfish and cruel. A while ago he returned from several months of travel, and he brought Kise with him.”

  
“He rarely leaves his side,” Tetsu adds, “But he seems rather unhappy.”

  
“I heard a rumor that he recently tried to drown himself,” Kagami adds glumly, “But Haizaki saved him.”

  
“He didn't,” Aomine clenches his fists, “I did.”

  
“Does Aomine-kun have a soft spot for humans?” Tetsu teases gently, “Or is it just for Kise-kun?”

  
“He likes the sea,” Aomine just says as if that would explain anything. Then again, maybe it does.

 

 

“Allegedly, some of our bretheren from other parts of the world are able to shed their skin and walk on land in human guise,” Midorima relates, this time not even trying to avoid the questions.

  
“Sounds useful,” Aomine comments, feeling a 'but' coming up. He is not disappointed.

  
“But highly dangerous,” Midorima objects, “There are several risks involved. If one were to lose one's skin, they would be unable to return to their natural form and would therefore be stranded. And the longer you are separated from the sea, the more you lose part of yourself. In fact, you might even forget who you are.”

  
“What if a human were to steal a merman's skin?” Aomine demands, “Would that be possible?”

  
“Humans are devious and cruel,” Midorima echoes what Akashi has said a hundred times, “I wouldn't be surprised.”

 

 

“So we have to find his skin,” Kagami surmizes, “Sounds easy enough.”

  
“He would have it hidden somewhere safe,” Tetsu muses, “We need to find it and steal it back.”

  
“You have to do it,” Aomine growls, for once hating that he is bound to the sea.

  
“We will attempt it tonight,” Tetsu promises resolutely, “Just be here at sunset.”

 

 

It's already more night than day when Tetsu and Ryouta come wandering along the shore.

  
“Let us take a break, Kise-kun,” Tetsu proposes, settling down in the sand, “I get tired so easily.”

  
“Do your feet hurt, too, Kurokocchi?” Ryouta asks, joining him, “Mine do all the time.”

  
His tone is light, but his gaze has already been pulled out to the ocean.

  
“I might even have to wait for Kagami-kun to carry me back,” Tetsu admits, sligthly abashed.

  
“Hm,” Ryouta nods distractedly, “What was that business deal he wanted to make with Shogo again?”

  
“Haizaki-kun has something in his possession that we would like to acquire,” Tetsu replies vaguely, “They should be done soon enough.”

  
“Good,” Ryouta says and shivers, rubbing his arms, “Shogo does not want me this close to the sea.”

  
“I know,” Tetsu says, but then Aomine can already see Kagami running towards them. In his arms, he carries an old tarp.

  
“I got it!” he crows, coming to a stop in front of the others, “Quick, before he comes to and finds us.”

  
“Kagamicchi?” Ryouta asks worriedly, getting to his feet, “Where is Shogo? And what is that ugly thing?”

  
“Your return ticket home,” Kagami answers, ignoring the first question and folding open the tarp. Immediately Ryouta gasps, reaching out a hesitant hand.

  
“It's beautiful,” he breathes, his voice trembling, “Did Shogo give it to you?”

  
“After some persuation,” Kagami says and cracks his knuckles.

  
“Kise-kun should try it on,” Tetsu encourages him, and this time Ryouta does not even question it.

  
Mesmerized, Aomine watches as Ryouta pulls the skin up and around himself.

  
The last sliver of red sun that remains at the horizon casts a flaming glow upon the golden scales that are fluid like water between Ryouta's fingers.

  
“Oh,” he sighs, barely even noticing that Tetsu starts to help him out of his man-made clothes, that his fake feet carry him closer to the cold water.

  
As the last light of day fades away, so does Kise Ryouta's human guise. The waves welcome him with tender caresses and quiet understanding.

  
His blonde head ducks under and then he is gone.

 

 

“You are not going to go after him?” Tetsu asks, but it's more of an observation than a question.

  
“Nah,” Aomine rubs the side of his neck, seemingly unaffected, “He'll probably try to get back to wherever he came from. And he never even knew me to begin with. You guys helped him, but he didn't even look back. I am a complete stranger.”

  
“But you saved him,” Tetsu points out, gently insistent, “Twice.”

  
“You shouldn't give up without even trying,” Kagami tells him, some sort of challenge in his voice, “After all, you wouldn't even have to strike a bargain with a sea witch.”

  
“Yeah, yeah,” Aomine waves them off, “I have to go now. And if Akashi doesn't rip my head off, I'll even be back for a visit. Along with Satsuki.”

  
Tetsu looks chagrined at the implied rebuke, but with Kagami's hands on his shoulder it's easier for Aomine to think that he has gained a new friend instead of giving up an old one.

 

 

Aomine finds himself on the surface once more, although there is no longer anyone who could still possibly hear him. He's mostly doing this for himself anyway.

  
All by itself, the song that trickles from his lips is one of abandonment and loneliness.

  
He's sprawled out on a large rock, out of sight from the shore, and his tail fin draws lazy circles through the water, an arm thrown over his face so he is not tempted to look whether by some idiotic miracle Ryouta is standing back on the beach again.

  
Next to him, there is a small splash, barely even enough to catch his attention. But then he can feel someone watching him. When he pulls his arm away and turns his head to the side, amber eyes with sunlight on water reflected in them are staring back at him.

  
“Who are you?” Ryouta asks, tilting his head to the side.

  
“What the hell do you care?” Aomine drawls, wanting to look away again, but still unable, even after all this time.

  
“I know your voice,” Ryouta says and looks like he does not understand himself.

 

 

“He promised to give it back if I went with him,” Ryouta says, anxiously running his hands along his vibrantly coloured tail, as if to make sure that it is really still there, “Every day, I asked and every day he promised. Eventually, I stopped asking. Eventually, I forgot. I only knew my name because he called me by it. And still, all I wanted was the sea.”

  
His turns his eyes on Aomine once more, wide and searching, “I never quite believed the scary stories I was told. Are all humans this cruel?”

  
“Many,” Aomine admits, “But not all.”

  
“I have missed the ocean,” Ryouta says, tilting his head back with a small, relieved smile, “I want to weave sea shells in my hair and play with dolphins. I want to go whale-surfing and pearl-diving.”

  
“You should meet my friend Satsuki then,” Aomine huffs, rolling his eyes.

  
“Really?” Ryouta asks and his voice is timid in a way that shows he's had to ask for permission for too long, “May I? Stay here, that is?”

  
“Sure,” Aomine shrugs, even as a pleasant shiver runs down his spine, “Under one condition, though.”

  
For a moment, Ryouta looks wary, but also curious, “What is it?”

  
“You have to race me back to my grotto!” Aomine calls and a moment later he already has a head-start.

  
“Wait!” Ryouta complains, hot on his fins, “I don't even know where your grotto is!”

  
“You wouldn't make it there first anyway!” Aomine laughs and then chokes on a mouthful of water as a golden blur passes him by.

  
“Catch me, Aominecchi!” Ryouta dares him and his allure is even greater than that of the sea.


End file.
